Envelope fasteners



y 9, 1967 D. H. BUSHEY 3,318,509

ENVELOPE FASTENERS.

Filed Dec. 17, 1964 Z2 u sld FIG 4 F l G 5 N VE N TOR DONALD H. BUSHEV yulw 4,315

AGENT United States Patent Ofitice 3,3 18,509 Patented May 9, 1967 3,318,509 ENVELGPE FASTENERS Donald H. Bushey, 786 Main St., Shrewshury, Mass. 01545 Filed Dec. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 419,168 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-78) This invention relates to improved fastener means for securing the fiap of so-called merchandise envelopes to the body portion thereof.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure for such envelopes by using a fastener similar to that which has been used for many years in the past, but adapting the envelope to which it is applied in a special way such as to make the fastener work easier and be more secure. tener disclosed in Swift Patent No. 1,593,048, Metallic Fastener for Envelopes, which is the type of fastener that has been used for many years, performs very well in connection with the present invention. The present invention, however, concerns an improvement in the closure fiap of the envelope rendering this type fastener much easier to use, as well as making the closure stronger than has heretofore been possible.

In the above-mentioned US. Patent No. 1,593,048 as well as many other variations of the two prong fastener, an opening is cut in the closure flap of the envelope at a location such that it overlies the approximate center of the metallic fastener which is securely attached to the back panel of the envelope. The opening is relatively small compared to the outstretched prongs of the fastener. The closure flap is secured to the back panel by first bending the prongs upright such that they extend approximately perpendicular to the back panel, then threading the upright prongs through the hole in the closure flap as the, closure flap is brought into overlying relation with the back panel. Finally, to fasten the closure flap in place, the prongs are then bent to their original outstretched position over the outside of the closure flap. Such closures are common in the industry today.

The present invention utilizes the same type two-prong fastener as described above; however, instead of having the single hole in the closure flap as has been used in the past, the present invention places two holes of a predetermined size at strategic locations in the closure flap which result in much easier securing of the flap to the back panel as well as a stronger closure. According to this invention, to secure the flap to the back panel, the prongs need only be bent a single time, whereas in the past, two bcndings were necessary for a single closure.

The above and many other advantageous features of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an envelope according to my invention with its flap extended.

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan view of an envelope according to this invention, in which the closure flap has been folded, but not secured to the back panel.

FIGURE 3 is a partial plan view similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrating the prongs of the fastener in a closed position.

FIGURE 4 is a section view of the closure flap, taken substantially along line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a portion of an envelope according to my invention, illustrating the envelope in the same closed position as in FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, illustrates generally the body or pocket portion of the envelope of paper or similar material having an open end 12 through which may be inserted articles, papers, etc. Hingedly connected to the For instance, the metallic fasbody portion 10 at the fold line is the closure flap 14. The fastener 16 is attached to the back panel 13 of the body portion 10 of the envelope in any suitable manner, -as by spurs 18 at its corners, which pass through the body portion and are clinched on the inner side. Bendable prongs 22 extend laterally in opposite directions from the mid portion of the fastener 16 and normally lay flat against the body of the envelopes.

Means are provided on the flap 14 for securing it in overlying relation with the back panel 13, thereby closing the opening 12 of the envelope, by means of the specially constructed slots 24 and 26 in the closure flap 14. The slots 24 and 26 are so positioned in the closure flap as to expose an appreciable end portion of each of the prongs 22 thereunder, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The slots 24 and 26 are large enough so that one may easily have access to the prongs 22 thereunder by means of ones fingers.

When the prongs 22 of the fastener 16 are about the same length, as they normally will be, it is desirable that the slots 24 and 26 be approximately symmetrical about the mid portion of the fastener 16. The edges 30 and 32 of the slots which overlie the prongs 16 are generally straight and extend in a generally parallel manner to the line of intended bending of the prongs. The length of the prongs, and the spacing between the slots will of course be such that an appreciable portion of each prong may be bent over the section of the closure flap 14 between the slots as shown in FIGURE 3. It is desirable, however, that the tips of the prongs do not overlap when they are bent to fasten the flap 14 down, so that opening will be easy.

It is also desirable to secure a piece 34 of stifiening material to the flap 14 between the slots 24 and 26, with edges of the piece 34 substantially coextensive with the edges 30 and 32 of slots 24 and 26 respectively as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4. This is to provide rigidity to the edges 30 and 32 during bending of the prongs 22. The piece 34 may be of stiff cardboard or the like and may be secured to the flap by any convenient means, as by adhesive.

The closure according to this invention has been found to be appreciably stronger than the prior art style in which only one hole is provided and the prongs are bent outwardly away from each other. This is most likely due to the fact that in the present invention, there are two spacedapart points of holding the closure flap 14 to the back panel 13 of the envelope body 10, whereas, in the prior art, the flap was only secured to the back panel at one point. It is recalled also, that the same two-prong type of fastener is used in this invention as in the prior art, but the closure flap 13 of applicants invention is constructed in a particular manner, by the strategic placement therein of slots of a certain size and shape relative to the prongs, so that the prongs of the fastener may be bent in a different and easier fashion to close the envelope.

In the use of my new type of envelope closure, the envelopes are normally furnished either with their flaps extended as in FIGURE 1, or with their flaps folded as in FIGURE 2. The user simply inserts the material inside the envelopes pocket, folds the flap 14 down as shown in FIGURE 2, and then pinches the ends of the prongs 22 inwardly towards each other as shown in FIGURE 3.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, steps, and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An envelope comprising front and rear panels, a closure flap hingedly connected to said front panel, and a 3 fastener attached to said back panel by a central base portion thereof at a position to underlie the flap when folded, and having elongated bendable prongs extending laterally from substantially opposite sides of said base portion and normallytlying substantially flat against the back panel,

said flap having two spaced apart slots overlying the end 7 portions of said prongs, thereby exposing the end portions of said prongs through the slots. 7

2. An envelope according to claim 1 which includes a stifiening strip connected to said flap and extending be tween and substantially to the edge of each of said slots.

3. An envelope according to claim 1 in which said slots are generally semi-elliptical.

4. An envelope according to claim 1 in which said slots 4 are generally semi-elliptical, the fiat side of one facing the flat side of the other, and which includes a stifiening strip connected to said flap and extending between and substantially to the edge of each slot. 7

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,806 10/1900 Barnard 22978 700,104 5/ 1902 Trenchard 22978 1,061,341 5/1913 Vierengel' 22978 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner I D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ENVELOPE COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR PANELS, A CLOSURE FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRONT PANEL, AND A FASTENER ATTACHED TO SAID BACK PANEL BY A CENTRAL BASE PORTION THEREOF AT A POSITION TO UNDERLIE THE FLAP WHEN FOLDED, AND HAVING ELONGATED BENDABLE PRONGS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID BASE PORTION AND NORMALLY LYING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AGAINST THE BACK PANEL, SAID FLAP HAVING TWO SPACED APART SLOTS OVERLYING THE END PORTIONS OF SAID PRONGS, THEREBY EXPOSING THE END PORTIONS OF SAID PRONGS THROUGH THE SLOTS. 